Celebrity Bingo

Get them cards out, it's time for some Celebrity Bingo!

[@derekcarden2593]

This looks more like a locally produced show like those that used to be slotted in the access hour (It's Academic, Bowling For Dollars, etc)in the years before nationally syndicated shows like Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Entertainment Tonight occupied that hour...

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

That's Fred Holliday, from "The Girl In My Life" (1973-75) as host.

[@Frumpyjones2]

Oh. My. Goodness. So happy this never made it past the pilot

[@richshealer3755]

The opening had a real SCTV promo feel. Thursdays at 9 Celebrity Bingo!

[@zacheryalderton6741]

Great audience

[@collegeslammer]

Before National Bingo Night and Bingo America, there was.......this.

[@yabbaguy]

Thanks again, Wink! I'd describe this pilot as clumsy. Fumbling cash, cringeworthy questions, patter that added little to the game, and Dick Sargent was a total afterthought.

[@AndyBruinewoud]

At least when the show failed, they could recycle the theme music for Celebrity Circus.

[@michaelsummers154]

Now I see where the concept led to Jackpot Bingo at KOBI-TV in Medford, Oregon, in the mid-1980's.

[@andrewschroy6368]

Or the Jackpot Bingo that KQCA (then KSCH) in Sacramento had around that time.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

I would rather play bingo than trying to watch it on the tube.

[@rchookie]

Hot time in the old town tonight! Don't know if that has anything to do with bingo, but it's a nice song.

[@matthewleverich7488]

This is so obscure I cannot find a thing on the internet about it.

[@donroberts2126]

With good reason! Why would ANYONE want to have ANYTHING to do with this utter.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

[@hdayejr]

@@donroberts2126 lol

[@Jack21Spades]

I'm a Caller at VFW Francis Cannon Post 7589 Bingo every Wednesday. I'd like to be a local host for a show like this.

[@josephpapai5867]

This show would work much better in 2018. People could download an app on their phone to play along at home!! Imagine a small town TV station in 1976 getting bombarded with phone calls of people claiming bingo!! Insane!!

[@andrewschroy6368]

I'm assuming the "Stan" Fred is thanking is Stan Chambers, correct?

[@myfilmz]

Yes it is

[@jeprice08]

I'm saying this merely as a viewer and not as an expert but even though BINGO is a fun and easy game to play, it's as boring as heck to watch. The host is trying, really trying, but I don't think it's his fault. I don't even think it's Dick Sargent's fault. It's the format itself. It's the game. Other than that, I thank Mr. Martindale for putting this on.

[@LogoMan7777]

And yet they were both parts of GSN originals....

[@tyrese3745]

And don't get me started with the prizes.

[@rodney1279TheFlip]

This was fun, Thanks Wink for sharing.

[@willmack5909]

Finally, a sure fire cure for insomnia! LOL

[@nextbarker2702]

Why does the host look and sound like Mr. Rogers?

[@LogoMan7777]

When you haven't even started gameplay within the first 8 minutes.... you got troubles, man.

[@andrewschroy6368]

Just look at an episode of Winner Take All '51...

[@wschmrdr]

Maybe the guy thought he was Groucho Marx...

[@billbell48]

Interesting concept. Thank you for sharing this with us! ☺️

[@tyrese3745]

Ugh!

[@18brianhuang]

What is the theme song to Celebrity Bingo called? Kind of catchy.

[@BRONXGIRL10]

All I can say is this is one of the best pilots, ever, "wink, wink, wink"!!!! Seriously, except for handsome and genial Fred Grossinger, this show is almost unwatchable.

[@jamesmcafee8348]

I'm a huge fan of bingo

[@newper]

As others have stated, Bingo is OK to play, but if you aren't playing, it is unwatchable. I like the little fill-in trivia things they are trying to do, the celeb/charity thing, etc. I don't really know why but so many of these shows were obsessed with the idea of interacting with people at home be it bingo, or prize lists, or I think one of them even used some TV that had four buttons you could push that would send a poll answer back to the cable station. I kind of get why the thought was there, but the logistics behind it and the cost added to things makes it pretty unlikely to be successful.

[@cottagechskitty]

The host tries to make this exciting but it just isn't possible

[@christopherdunne7848]

Not only having "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" as the theme (with calliope!), but the video intro using spliced film----that's keepin' it classy!

[@juliaz12345]

Or should I say...NOOOOO BINGO!

[@junkaholic95]

Even bad pilots like this are fascinating to see because it shows what somebody thought was a good idea at the time.

[@unclechrislv]

The lady who won the home game from last week (Barbara Searles) is listed in the closing credits as associate producer. Didn't know staff was eligible to win prizes. So much for Standards and Practices.

[@andrewschroy6280]

Sounds like a run-through to me.

[@supergameshowmajster]

interesting format

[@jldel615]

Fairly awful game show. Borderline unwatchable. It took nearly 8 minutes before the game even began.

[@tyrese3745]

Boring, boring, triple boring!

[@davidbrown-xk8zl]

Did anyone win any money? I fell asleep after the first 5 minutes.YAWWWWN.

[@tyrese3745]

You and me both. I feel for you.

[@txchristopherreed]

"Bewitched" -- the first known show to undergo a major Dick transplant. :) As for this show, this shouldn't have even made the pilots, this was just a bad concept from the word go. A total bore. But I appreciate you sharing Wink.

[@drewconway7135]

This game is a total snooze, but I liked the host. The calliope playing “Old Lady Leary” is weird.

[@matchgame90]

Gotta love any half hour show that takes nearly 8 minutes to get underway!

[@Ian16545]

Between _National Bingo Night_ and this... I'll take the Bingoplex any day.

[@andrewschroy6368]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BINGO!!!!! PLAY IS STILL ON! :D Seriously, that alone made NBN entertaining.

[@juliaz12345]

I had trouble falling asleep. Thanks for posting this. I feel pretty tired after watching only half of this...Ugh...Doesn't seem like bingo works as a game show.

[@mikebennyo5924]

thanks wink

[@gilwood7530]

This is a strange one

[@spwash1000]

What year was this pilot produced and what network was it pitched to?

[@christopherdunne7848]

Copyright looks like 1976, and the intro shows the address of KTLA channel 5 Los Angeles. KTLA had a history of "home grown" game shows---not sure if it was even meant to be offered to a network; phone lines would catch fire nationwide!

[@hdayejr]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[@jeprice08]

10:34 - 10:47 Don't feel too badly, sonny! I almost believed you for a minute!

[@port566]

I'm sure when he landed on the moon, he thought to himself, "What a wonderful world!"

[@danbarker4857]

@20:30, a $2 Bill, he gave her?

[@benjaminkellog7311]

Yet another fine example of how some traditional games just don't seem to make good game show material, at least not in their everyday forms (if "Bingo America" and "Lingo" are any indication). I'm fine with the endless rule spiel at the beginning; any home participation show needs that (and I would have loved to have participated in something like this in my hometown; "Monopoly Millionaire's Club" just didn't scratch that itch). Otherwise, this game moved at a snail's pace, slowed down even further by softball trivia even classic "Let's Make a Deal" wouldn't touch. Speaking of Monty, I feel his "Bingo at Home" show from the Fifties, while still pretty clunky, is what this show should've taken cues from.

[@danbarker4857]

Not a bad show, is this from the early 70s?

[@kgruber17]

Boring! Glad it didn't sell

[@howtube61]

I just saw this pilot and I'll be blunt. IT WAS AWFUL!!! A very dull format and a theme song that sounded like it was recorded at a circus that wasn't flying like Monty Python's. This was also Fred Holliday's first attempt at hosting a game show since ABC canceled The Girl in My Life in 1974. Since this show wasn't picked up, Holliday wouldn't host another show. Watch it and see why this was an awful show.

[@jdbarker32]

The host is the only good thing about this pilot. I'm sure if they were given a better show, they would have done better. Other than that, this show is a mess. The pace is slow. This probably would have worked in the 50s, but game shows in the 70s became more fast paced. When you take ten minutes to explain your game, you've already lost your audience.

[@tyrese3745]

Totally lame. Yawn...